Can AudioCardio Improve Tinnitus? Experiences and Reviews

[Lucia Zuani]

Dear tinnitus community,

I have recently heard of AudioCardio, a mobile phone app that is supposed to help the ears' health and ameliorate tinnitus, based on the novel-ish techniques known as Threshold Sound Conditioning.

I did not try it yet, nor do I know anyone who has. So I came here to the forums in search of testimonials/reviews about it. However, to my surprise there was no post about this app (except from a thread with zero replies from 4 years ago about Threshold Sound Conditioning more broadly).

What intrigues me is that this app currently has 4.3 out 5.0 stars on Apple Store (with 246 reviews) and 3.4 out 5.0 stars on Google Play (also with 246 reviews) - but most complains on Android are about technical issues with the app, not about its results.

The app claims to be "an evidence-based mobile app that delivers inaudible sound therapies designed to maintain and strengthen your hearing while providing relief from tinnitus by stimulating the cells inside your ear. It's like physical therapy for your hearing." It is based on a Randomized Clinical Trial published in the Neurology journal.

Here is the description in the app's website on how it is supposed to work:

Our clinically proven Threshold Sound Conditioning (TSC) technology generates personalized sound therapies just below the audible level to help stimulate and strengthen your hearing. AudioCardio™ quickly assesses your hearing and delivers a once a day, one hour sound therapy that you can play passively in the background while you go about your day.

• Your hearing works by processing sound waves traveling through the air
• These sound waves stimulate the cells inside the ear, making them "fire," and connect to nearby cells, sending these signals to the brain along the auditory pathway. The brain then interprets these signals as sounds.
• Threshold Sound Conditioning technology detects the frequencies that have lost sensitivity (commonly due to noise exposure and aging) and stimulates the cells responsible for those frequencies repeatedly until they build up enough stimulation to "fire" and connect to nearby cells.
• The more these cells "fire" and connect, the stronger and more efficient these connections become, allowing sound signals to travel to the brain more easily.

I am, of course, skeptical. But I would still love to read if any of you had any experience with that app.

P.S. Amusingly, the billionaire that spends millions per year tying to remain young, did claim to use AudioCardio to treat his hearing issues:

 

[Cher2]

Hi @Lucia Zuani:

Like you, I have looked at the AudioCardio app and its ratings. I've thought about trying it, but also like you, I'd feel more confident that it was worth it if there were some testimonials here.

A few weeks ago, through Google or YouTube, I found a video interview with one of the developers. I found it through random searching.

 

[sspencermo]

I was looking into AudioCardio, too, and wanted to know if anyone had tried it. They don't make many claims about it helping tinnitus. The original study link is here. It's a little worrisome that many people in the control group had worsening of their hearing during the study...

 

[InfiniteLoop]

@Lucia Zuani, I used AudioCardio for 6 months. It is a waste of time and money.

 

[star-affinity]

I've been trying AudioCardio for a few days now and, if anything, I'm thinking it made my tinnitus worse (could be other reasons of course). It's as if my high-pitched tinnitus has started to sound a little like the sound one hears during the hearing assessment in the app.

I don't think I dare to go on with it.

 

[star-affinity]

I can say that I seem to be back to the "normal" crap when it comes to my tinnitus sound, so at least all that happened in conjunction with trying AudioCardio was temporary. I still likely won't give it a go again.

 

[Hottopic29]

AudioCardio gave me severe tinnitus in both ears. I used it to test my hearing, then accidentally pressed the tinnitus button. I turned up the volume, but I didn't even hear the sound, and it gave me severe hyperacusis and tinnitus in both ears.